Hell Mode: Volume 5, page 17
Monsters did not spawn in the open plaza where the adventurers arrived from different floors; due to this, many parties set up camp there, and the No-life Gamers had observed them to learn what they themselves would need to prepare. Of course, some parties lived inside golems that transformed into houses, so those had not been of much help to refer to. Yet.
The party swiftly worked their way through Floor 2 to reach Floor 3. Now that Allen knew that the rocky mountains were floor boss spawn points, he repeated the previous day’s strategy of sending Summons to scout them out. Today, he also dispatched the Fish Bs that he had been keeping for their MP buffs along with the usual Spirit Bs. By having them swim through the sand toward the mountains, he learned that there were a large number of monsters lurking under the sand.
The Fish Bs, which looked like massive prehistoric sea turtles called Archelons, had high enough Endurance that they could simply ignore Rank B monsters. When it came to Rank As, however, they could not avoid taking a bit of damage—so Allen had ordered them to avoid all monsters wherever possible, and to keep an eye out for rocky mountains while taking care not to get themselves killed. Whenever their HP went down, Allen re-Summoned them close enough to Keel to heal them before sending them out again. This was the method that spent the least number of magic stones.
And so the Gamers spent the entire morning tearing through rocky mountains in their search for floor bosses. They found two treasure chests in the process, bringing their total loot pool to three iron medals and a sword and helmet made of hihiirokane. Throughout all this, they steadily collected Rank A and B magic stones from all the monsters they killed. The treasure chests were supposed to also hold golem slates, but unfortunately, the group had not yet been blessed with even one.
At the moment, they were resting and having lunch.
“Looks like this is a good place for leveling,” Allen noted.
“It is,” Cecil agreed. “Will we be staying here until we’re ready for our next class promotion?”
“Probably a good idea. A month on this floor will probably be enough to max out everyone’s levels. All right, break’s over. Let’s get back to looking for monsters and slates.”
In a despondent voice, Meruru said, “I’m sorry you’re all going to so much trouble just for me...”
Oh? She seems down all of a sudden.
Allen was having Meruru hold a large shield and stand guard in front of Cecil and Sophie in battle for now until the party gathered all the necessary slates. She did this with full confidence at first, but when she saw how much stronger everyone had become compared to when they were in Academy City, she started feeling guilty that she still could not use a golem. And when the group failed to find even a single slate in the morning, it made her even more uneasy.
“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Allen reassured her. “It’s not like it’s gonna take us months to gather all the slates.”
We did find two chests in half a day. It’s probably only a matter of time.
“But...”
“I know for a fact that you’re full of potential that we’re just not tapping into right now. We just have to look at other parties with golems to know how useful they are as tanks.”
Everyone else voiced their agreement, having seen for themselves how other parties fought alongside golems.
Eventually, Meruru was appeased. “Thanks everybody.”
“Still, Allen, you really do keep going on about ‘tank’ this, ‘tank’ that,” Cecil commented. “Why’re you so particular about it?”
“Hm? I’m not really, though,” Allen replied reflexively. “I just, uh, know a little about how it works, that’s all.”
Sophie spoke up as well. “Now that you mention it, Cecil, I’ve thought so too.”
Sensing everyone’s eyes on him, Allen folded. “Well...it’s not like I’m trying to hide it, but... Yeah, I used to be a tank in my previous life.”
“So that’s why you’re so knowledgeable about being one.” Cecil recalled how enthusiastically Allen had talked about the importance of this particular role. She had only ever seen him as a Summoner, so she somehow thought being a tank was similar to being a Summoner.
I didn’t exactly choose to be a tank because I wanted to be one, but let’s not talk about that.
“Pretty much,” Allen replied. “So yeah, Meruru—I chose to be a Summoner, and what I’ve come to realize is that you never really know what a class is about until you actually try it. They all become fun eventually. And the longer you stick with it, the more you develop a sense of attachment to it.”
The Summoner class in this world turned out to be quite different from what Allen expected, but he was wholeheartedly enjoying it now.
“Basically, what I wanna say is...don’t let how things are right now get you down.”
“I see.”
“Wow, sounds really convincing coming from someone who’s gone through it themselves.” Cecil nodded appreciatively.
In his previous life as Kenichi, Allen had chosen a tank class back when he started his very first online game. At the time, he was not even aware of the concept of a tank. He chose the class simply because it looked strong, and aside from the facts that it had lower Attack but higher Endurance than other frontline classes and that it came with class skills to protect party members, he had thought nothing more of it. It was only after a whole year of playing that he learned that using these skills and serving as a party’s shield was called “being a tank.” He continued to serve this integral party role until the game’s end of service, believing he had done the position justice. That was the first and last game where he mained as a tank.
And clearly, that position is needed here in this world too.
Kenichi’s memories of the very first video game he fell in love with had greatly shaped his values and the rest of his life as a gamer. His desire to treasure those memories was a big reason why he had come to this world in search of a fulfilling experience in the first place.
“That said, Lord Allen, this ‘tank’ that you are talking about is more of a role, yes? Your class was called something else, was it not?”
Uh-oh.
“It...was.”
“Hold on... Allen?” Cecil narrowed her eyes. The shifty way Allen answered Sophie just now had given her an overwhelming sense that something was off. She was sure beyond a doubt that he was hiding something.
“Hold on for...what?”
“Out with it. What was your class?” Cecil put down her spoon and leaned over.
Krena joined in. “What were you, Allen?”
“I...was an adventurer, of course.” I was on a grand adventure. What else could it have been?
Allen’s attempt to dodge the question earned him Cecil’s divine punishment as she grabbed his face with her fingers in an iron vise.
“Eep! Why?! That hurts! Seriously!” This is so unfair!
“Are you going to answer or not?”
“Um, I wore armor...and I switched between using a spear and a sword. I also had a shield.”
My nostalgic memories as Kenpy are coming back to meeeee...
The name that Kenichi assigned his tank character was “Kenpy.” He was a student at the time and was struggling to come up with a cool name and ended up going with a version of his own name that he thought was cool. After playing under that name for a long time, however, he grew attached to it.
“Woooow! Is that a cool name?” Krena asked, pressing the matter.
“Oh, yes. It’s very cool.” Allen desperately wanted his friends to drop the topic, but they clearly did not share his sentiment.
Sophie cut in again. “You only told us what your equipment was, not what your class was.”
C’mon, Sophie, I thought you of all people would be on my side!
The sight of Allen in Cecil’s clutches had only compelled Sophie to comment, “I’m sure that’s uncomfortable.” Not a trace of her usual kindness was to be seen. Clearly, no one here was Allen’s ally. Even though Cecil’s iron grip was squeezing with the most force she could muster, everyone was just watching on with grins on their faces.
“Hold on, that actually hurts for real!” Allen was on the verge of tears.
“Well, speak.”
“Y-Yes, m’lady! I used to be a Holy Knight!”
I chose it because I thought the class name and the equipment both seemed cool.
Krena shot to her feet. “Knight?! You used to be a knight, Allen?! That’s incredible!”
“Wait, a knight?!” Dogora shouted in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell us?!”
See?! I didn’t want to say it because I knew Krena and Dogora would react like this! Now I have a misunderstanding to clear up.
Allen knew full well how much Krena and Dogora looked up to knights after growing up with them. This is why, during their time in the Academy, he had not mentioned Holy Knight when talking about any experience he had playing a large variety of classes.
“D-Don’t misunderstand. That was just my class. Sure, I was called a knight, but my status was still just a commoner.”
I was just a salaryman. Just your average corporate warrior.
“LIKE HELL YOU WERE!” Dogora roared with the most indignation he had ever expressed in all fourteen years of his life.
“Hold on, a cube! We’ve got a cube!” Allen shouted suddenly. One of the Summons that he had left searching while the party rested had found a floating cube inside a cave.
It’s just as Helmios told me yesterday.
Last night, Allen had asked the Hero through the Spirit B he had left in Helmios’s house in the Giamut capital about BB and other things related to the Tower of Tribulation that he did not yet know. Even though Helmios started with the caveat that he was not too knowledgeable about Floors 2 and 3 because his own party mainly stayed on Floor 4, he still ended up providing a lot of very useful information. One thing that he talked about was the hidden cubes in the dungeon.
Allen currently had Summons stationed in numerous locations all around the world besides Helmios’s house: In Rohzenheim, this was in Tiamo, the city where the queen of the elves and the elven Elders were located. In Ratash, this was in the elven embassy in the capital. Of course, he also had the Granvelle mansion and Rodin Village covered. The main reason for leaving his Summons all over was to make it easy to exchange information and to get advance notice of any sudden movements by the Demon Lord Army, but in Rodin Village, the Summons also actively helped with the village’s development and protected the villagers from monsters.
The safety and prosperity of his family were two of Allen’s top priorities.
Additionally, there was always a Dragon B in the White Dragon Mountains that worked to keep the realms of Granvelle and Carnel free of monsters by feeding them to Haku, the newly reborn white dragon. The whelp ate everything Dora brought back with a voracious appetite, growing larger and larger each day.
Without further ado, Allen shot to his feet and started clearing things away.
Dogora looked up in puzzlement. “Uh, what’d you say?”
“We found a cube in a cave in one of the rocky mountains,” Allen replied, playing up the excitement in his voice. “Everyone, you’re done resting, right? Let’s go!”
“H-Hold on! We’re not done talking!” Dogora shouted. “You gotta tell us more about your time as a knight! Starting with why you’ve kept mum about it!”
Pretending not to hear him, Allen brought out the Bird Bs and pushed everyone to get going as a way to dodge his companion’s barrage of questions.
＊ ＊ ＊
The No-life Gamers were zooming through the sky above the desert on their Bird Bs.
“You definitely have to tell all the details about you being a Holy Knight later on!” Cecil called out from a Bird B positioned behind Allen’s. “And stop ignoring us!”
Allen, however, maintained his silence, hoping against hope that this storm would eventually pass.
Now then, a hidden cube! We sure are lucky, finding one the very next day after learning about them.
The party reached the mountain they were heading for and walked into the cave. Deep inside, they found a cube that looked similar to the one in the open plaza.
“Whew, we got here in time. Guys, I’m gonna try talking to it, so be on your guard. There’s a chance it might teleport us somewhere.”
Volmaar unshouldered his bow and clutched it tightly in front of his chest. “Mm, understood.”
“All right, here goes.” Allen warily addressed the cube. “Um, hello?”
“Greetings, No-life Gamers. I am Dungeon Reward Exchange System S302. Would you like to exchange medals and slates?”
So we got an exchange one and not a trap one.
“Exchange, is it? Excuse me, would you mind if we ask a few questions first?”
“Go ahead.”
In response to Allen’s questions, the cube explained that it served to exchange medals for slates. It could trade both ways at a ratio of three medals to one slate, but it could only be used once and it only handled iron medals and Iron Grade slates. For the medal-to-slate trade, it would be giving out a basic slate—one for a golem head, torso, left arm, right arm, or legs—chosen at random.
Aw, so this one won’t give special slates.
Yesterday, Allen had learned from Helmios that each floor had many different hidden cubes. Just like floor bosses, they teleported after a certain time, reappearing in caves on Floor 3 and tree hollows on Floor 2, among other locations. There were many types, such as ones that exchanged medals and slates, ones that gave out medals or slates for free, and ones that teleported parties to places separate from the normal dungeon floors such as bonus stages—and death stages.
Some of the cubes’ medals-to-slates exchange gave not just basic slates but also movement ones and special ones that, for example, made a golem much larger or strengthened its armor. In some cases, the cube would demand more than ten medals for a slate.
The troublesome thing with these cubes was that some of them would immediately teleport the entire party when someone talked to them, with there being a chance that the party would find themselves surrounded by a large number of monsters in what was aptly called a “death stage.” If all the monsters were Rank A, the adventurer party would very likely be massacred. This was one more reason why the death rate was so high in this dungeon. Therefore, it was common sense among the adventurers here that those who were not strong enough should never talk to these cubes.
Allen took out three medals from Storage without hesitation. “I’d like to exchange these, please.”
I totally can’t wait to see Meruru’s golem!
Even though it had taken the party half a day of running around to gather these three medals, no one said anything. Ever since their Academy days, they fully understood that Allen was always doing what was best for the party and for them.
“Confirmed. Here you go.”
The medals in Allen’s hand disappeared and were replaced by a basic slate. The slate had a protrusion the same size as one of the holes in Meruru’s magic disc. On the opposite side of the protrusion was a depiction of a golem head.
“So this is a head slate. Now we have the first one. Four to go.” Allen handed the slate to Meruru. “Sorry if you end up getting dupes of the head.”
Though for stuff like this, you almost always end up getting dupes over and over when you’re waiting for the very last piece.
“Th-Thank you.” Meruru accepted the slate as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Try putting it in.”
“O-Okay.” When she slid the slate into the slot, Meruru’s face lit up with delight. “Whoa...”
“Come to think of it, Allen’s always been like this,” Cecil said thoughtfully. “I guess it makes sense that he used to be a Holy Knight—I’m sure it’s because he has a big heart. Ahhh, so when he did that then, it was because he was a Holy Knight...” Apparently Cecil was applying Allen’s being a former Holy Knight to past events in this world and connecting dots in her head.
Understanding dawned on Keel’s face as well. “I see, that explains why he seems so used to talking to royalty and nobility.”
Seeing everyone else nodding in agreement, Allen thought, Uh-oh, the misunderstanding is getting worse. By this point, it was really hard for him to explain that he only chose the class because he thought it sounded cool. He turned to the floating cube just in time to see it fade away starting from its edges.
Oh, it simply disappears when its job is done. All right, moving on.
“Let’s head to the next rocky mountain, everyone. This one’s got a treasure chest! We’ve gotta nab it before it’s gone.”
At any given moment, Allen always had multiple Summons out and about, checking the caves of rocky mountains. This enabled them to know exactly where to go, giving them a significant advantage over other adventurer parties and greatly shortening their time exploring.
“I knew you were special, Lord Allen.” Sophie, the party’s cheerleader so to speak, clasped both hands before her chest and appeared deeply moved.
I wish you’d help resolve this misunderstanding instead, honestly.
The No-life Gamers remounted their Bird Bs. After traveling for a while, one of the visions that Allen was Sharing with a Summon abruptly changed.
“Huh? Wait, is this the sky? Is Genbu in the air right now?”
“What’s wrong, Allen?” Meruru asked as Allen made all the Bird Bs stop.
“Wait, again?!” Cecil protested from behind.
“No, it’s something else. Something’s got Genbu. I saw something long, red for a split second. I think it’s Scarlet. Let’s go check it out.”
“Wait, Scarlet is the Rank S boss for this floor, right?” Cecil asked incredulously. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
It was only yesterday that the No-life Gamers had fled from BB, another Rank S monster.
“If we can’t handle it, we can just run away again. For now, let’s go see what it’s like. C’mon guys, it’s close!”
It’s not like there’s a hard rule that says we can’t beat Rank S monsters.
Everyone looked nervous as they set a course for what seemed likely to be a coming fight with a Rank S monster. Not too long after, they spotted a towering form that made for quite the eye-catching landmark.
